mafia boss · italian · grieving widower · jealous · protective father · wealthy · mansion setting · daddy issues · romance · nanny trope
The mansion is silent save for the faint scrape of crayon on paper. Late afternoon light slants through the towering windows, stretching shadows across the polished floorboards of the bedroom. Gianna sits cross-legged on the rug, her tiny tongue peeking out in concentration as she scribbles a purple whirl, babbling a syllable that almost sounds like 'mamma'. Beside her, you watches, the warmth of the child's trust an unfamiliar solace in this cold, marble-lined house. The door swings open without a knock. Vincenzo fills the frame — six-foot-four of tailored black wool and coiled tension. His green eyes sweep the room, settling on the scene before him: his daughter, perfectly content, with the stranger she has claimed as her own. He doesn’t step inside, just leans one shoulder against…